Weasel

Nathan Fowler #1

by Cynthia C. DeFelice

The name has haunted my sleep and made my awake hours uneasy for as long as I can remember. Other children whisper that he is part man and part animal -- wild and blood-thirsty. But I know Weasel is real: a man, an Indian fighter the government sent to drive off the Indians -- to "remove them." Weasel has his own ideas about removal...

Now that the Shawnees are dead or have left, Weasel has turned on the settlers. Like his namesake, the weasel, he hunts by night and sleeps by day, and he kills not because he is hungry, but for the sport of it...I know what I have to do. Weasel is out there. He could come here and hurt us. Maybe Pa can wait for the day when we'll have the law to take care of men like Weasel. But I can't...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Historical, Childrens

128 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1991

About the author

Cynthia DeFelice is the author of many bestselling titles for young readers, including the novels Wild Life, The Ghost of Cutler Creek, Signal, and The Missing Manatee, as well as the picture books, One Potato, Two Potato, and Casey in the Bath. Her books have been nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe Award and listed as American Library Association Notable Children's Books and Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, among numerous other honors.

Cynthia was born in Philadelphia in 1951. As a child, she was always reading. Summer vacations began with a trip to the bookstore, where she and her sister and brothers were allowed to pick out books for their summer reading. “To me,” she says, “those trips to the bookstore were even better than the rare occasions when we were given a quarter and turned loose at the penny-candy store on the boardwalk.” Cynthia has worked as a bookseller, a barn painter, a storyteller, and a school librarian.

When asked what she loves best about being an author, she can’t pick just one answer: “I love the feeling of being caught up in the lives of the characters I am writing about. I enjoy the challenge of trying to write as honestly as I can, and I find enormous satisfaction in hearing from readers that something I wrote touched them, delighted them, made them shiver with fear or shake with laughter, or think about something new.” Cynthia and her husband live in Geneva, New York.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/cynthi...

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story about remembering the good things in your life instead of being weighed down by the bad and by the negative, evil people in the world.

[Cecilia · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was entirely different than what I expected. I really liked it. You won’t find a book like this very often.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute kids' book. I wish it had been in my elementary school curriculum, especially as it deals with some very tough issues, such as death, killing and morality — but all on terms that a young child could understand.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was how the women seemed so helpless. Nathan's sister seems unsure and scared throughout most of the book, and his mother, though a healer, dies of a fever. It would have been nice to see a strong female person in the book.

[Vee · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 8 and 9 year old loved it. It was creepy, scary, a bit socially incorrect (which led to great conversations) and they loved it. Great story.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Ohio, in 1839, most of the Shawnees are gone - chased off the land or killed by the Indian fighters to make room for the settling farmers. But two of the government's Indian fighters remain, and their lives have been permanently changed by the work they were sent to Ohio to do. Both men live alone. Ezra has adopted many of the Shawnees values and ways of living, but killing Indians has unleashed some sickness in Weasel, who terrorizes settlers by night and sleeps all day. Eleven-year-old Nathan meets both men when his father doesn't come back from a hunting trip, and Nathan is forced to confront his feelings about killing and revenge. This is a short, quick read. Nathan's dilemma is agonizingly difficult, because of the horrors Weasel has inflicted on others - including Ezra and his family.

[Hunter Ells · Rating 3 out of 5]

The name of this book is Weasel. The author is Cynthia Defelice. The main characters are Ezra, Nathan, Nathan’s dad and Weasel. The setting and where it takes place is Ohio in 1839.

Weasel is a bad guy. He cut out Ezra's tongue a long time ago. He tries to hurt everyone. Nathans mom died a long time ago but Ezra used be bring medicine for her. Ezra was always looking out for them. Nathan’s dad got caught in one of Weasel’s traps and didn't come home. Ezra showed up at the door and took them to his dad. When they got there his leg was hurt but they gave him medicine.

My favorite part is when Nathan goes to kill Weasel for everything he did and you wonder if he is really going to do it. I guess you will have to read the book to find out.

I like this book because when you think you know what will happen something changes. I recommend it to anyone who likes mystery.

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a creepy book [in a good way]

[Lori McMullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to using this book in my eighth grade language arts classroom.

[Marci · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a good book for reluctant readers who enjoy the outdoors.

[Ovard J. 7 · Rating 3 out of 5]

12. The book called “Weasel,” by Cynthia Defelice, is a jaw dropping mysterious book full of traveling and culture. Dad heads out for a couple of hours to grab food and firewood and things like that, but soon turns there dad is gone for days. Nathan and his sister are left to take care of the house, him and his sister take care of the farm and do daily house chores while they wait for there dad. An Indian guy named Ezra comes walking up to thier house and knocks. The kids open the door and he has in his hand a locket. Nathan and his sister mysteriously question how could he possibly have the locket. So the kids decide to trust this stranger and follow him through a journey to find where there dad has gone. Story behind the locket, the locket is a remembrance to the kids’ the kids momdied so the dad now has it and carries it everywhere with him. I really liked this book a lot! This book had a great flow to it and it made sense to me! There was no confusing parts in the book which is somthing I look for in a book i'm going to be reading. This book is a great and valuable because it teaches you how to keep up with your responsibilities even when your left to do it by yourself. A good example of this is when nathan and his sister are left home alone for a couple of days cause there dad is gone and they take care of the house and their daily chores. I find that in the book where they had to camp for a little while and take a break was sortove unnecessary, because they are wanting to find their dad so bad but yet are stopping in the middle of the journey to take a break, it just kinda annoyed me. This book makes me feel like there's always hope, a good example of this is when the kids don't give up on trying to find their dad. The theme of this book is to trust your gut with whats its telling you to do. An example of this is when Nathan and his sister were second guessing themselves if they should leave the house and follow a complete stranger. In conclusion this is a great book for readers who enjoy mysteries.

[Chris Bartal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was pretty dark most of the narrative. If you enjoy that type of story, this may be for you. The author did well with the historical Ohio setting. I've seen the cliffs along the Ohio River that she mentions. Ezra was probably the most interesting, but secondary, character. The problem is that Nathan has some intense negative feelings toward Weasel, and rightly so. The title character was an evil person who committed evil acts affecting all in the story. Nathan came to the conclusion that it was his duty to kill Weasel.

My main problem is that during the resolution of the story, Nathan never seemed to realize how his actions would have made him like Weasel. It's true, that his feelings changed toward the end of the book and he grew as a character, but it seemed like more of an accident. And I'm not sure if Nathan, at the end of the book, still wouldn't try to kill Weasel if he had the chance.

If you have similar thoughts, or you see Nathan's growth in a different way, please comment. I'm curious to see if I'm missing something or if others agree with me. Would Nathan at the end of the book still go after Weasel if he had the chance?

[Phino DeLeon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My youngest son implored me to read this some time ago, so much so that he probably has forgot. It took me a real long time to get it read, but it turns out, again, he was right to make me read it. A easy read that he read while in school. Based in Ohio during the post Indian wars, the settlers have hard times made worse by a person who utilizes the lack of law to make his own rules. When a turn of events causes the main character to grow up too fast, he has a decision to make. Which he struggles with until the climax and his whole world comes crashing down, and he realizes that he is not as grown up as he really believed himself to be.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick-read kid's book about a 11 year-old boy Nathan, his 9 year-old sister Molly, and their father living on the frontier in the late 1800's.

A man (half man, half animal, according to the talk of the land) named Weasel has tormented folks by killing people and animals in an effort to "remove" Shawnee Indians and "relocate" them to Kansas.

Nathan goes out into the night one night and has an encounter with Weasel. He learns to hate him and wishes him dead. Is that o.k.? He feels like it is but his dad and others say otherwise. Why wouldn't it be alright to wish this on such an evil man?

[Holly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, and for its time, it seems fairly pro-Shawnee and respectful. It uses a specific nation's name and appropriate Shawnee term for a Shawnee dwelling (wegiwa). It uses the derogatory term "squaw" and implies that women lack worth (esp. Indigenous women), and a white character "takes" a Shawnee wife -- by force? Or did she fall in love with one of the white men who had been terrorizing her people in the name of government removal?

This would probably all go over the head of the average middle school reader, but I think we don't need it in the classroom.

[Flesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine living in Ohio in 1839, the nearest neighbors live miles away, your mom died a year ago and your father left two days ago to hunt for food. Eleven year old Nathan has been chopping wood and keeping the fire burning. Nine year old Molly has been cooking the stew and baking the bread. Together they have been caring for their farm, but they are worried about their Pa. And then there is a knock at the door...

[Karalynn Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 7th grade reading teacher read this to our class and I remember being on the edge of my seat. It was fun reliving those moments with my two boys as I read it to them. They jumped and jittered at the same spots I recall being tense and both were very excited to see how it would end. Perfect read aloud for upper elementary kids.

[Marianne (Mazziebee) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical fiction book to have in my wheelhouse for students. Connects well with Native American unit. Quick read, easy to analyze. Good as an outside reading book for a struggling middle school reader, reluctant reader, or just a student who has run out of time and has a book report due SOON.

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this with my boys and don't think I've ever witnessed such rapt attention. They begged me to read more after we finished each chapter. Not for a faint-of-heart audience as it has some intense peril, but my 7 and 10 year-olds handled it fine (but they are boys and seem to welcome intense peril into their lives whenever possible.) The sequel is on our bucket reading list this summer.

[Zev · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is categorized as a murder mystery, but it's a morality tale. A twelve-year-old argues with himself over whether or not to kill a man who murdered and seriously injured many others, and stole livestock and captured his maimed father. The pacing is strange. The structure is weird. The descriptions and dialogue are great, though. The audience for this...I don't know. I wouldn't know who to recommend this to.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good suspenseful action book for tweens. It’s short and a quick read. I think I finished it in just over an hour. This is the required 7th grade book I had to teach at my school and it was an easy start to the year. Kids enjoyed it and we had some good discussions about death, ethical decisions, and the plight of the Native Americans in the 1800s.

[Sarah - All The Book Blog Names Are Taken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this many times when I was younger and it was always a favorite. I remember being scared the first time I read it, but then I kept reading it over and over. I'm worried that if I were to read it now as an adult, it would not stand up to my youthful memories.

[Damian Campana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read, and a great historical fiction story that covers the complexity of morality and the choice between revenge and moving forward.

Check out my full review: https://drexcreations20.wordpress.com...

[Yousseif Abdellatif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kept me hooked in one sitting, and I forgot to eat lunch, which my stomach did not appreciate. Weasel has this snappy, pulpy energy, and Cynthia C. DeFelice never lets a page go limp. The last few chapters get a little ridiculous. Great for adrenaline readers, skip if you prefer realism.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, suspenseful, sad, though I would not want a young person reading it!!!

[Odell Beckham · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will be good for enyone
who wants to read it

[Kylie Makenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was great

[Keira · Rating 1 out of 5]

this just wasn't a good book to me.

[Brittany K · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short children’s book was one of my favorites when I was a kid. It’s probably been 25 years since I read it, and I remembered everything all wrong! Haha!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tense, taut YA novel, short and sweet